But unfortunately, that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Watching Magnus lost in thought, a wave of sadness washed over Elise.
She''d schemed and tried everything, but this man would never truly belong to her.
Unable to bear the sting of rejection, Elise turned and fled the room.
*
A weekter
Atst, Isadora was being discharged from the hospital.
The doctor assured her that her leg had healed well-she could walk normally now, though she''d need to avoid running or any strenuous activity for a while. Laura was bustling around the hospital room, packing up Isadora''s things.
That''s when Eleanor and Richard arrived.
Eleanor hurried over, her voice warm and eager. "Isadora, why note stay with me for a while after you''re discharged? I''ve already made up your room at home, and the housekeepers are all ready to help take care of you."
Isadora''s expression remained cool andposed. "Thank you, but I''ll be going back to my own ce."
During her two weeks in the hospital, Eleanor had visited every single day.
Isadora had tried to send her away more than once.
Every day, Laura would bring her carefully prepared meals—ones that, truth be told, Eleanor had cooked herself.
They weren''t exactly delicious, but Isadora neverined.
In her own way, Eleanor was a good mother.
The trouble was, she''d spent years treating Pearl as her only daughter,vishing all her love on her, and all but ignoring Isadora.
It was only after finally waking up to her mistakes that Eleanor was filled with regret and determined to make amends.
Eleanor pressed on, "But darling, I just don''t feelfortable with you living alone so soon after your injury. If you really don''t want toe back to Vaughan Manor, why don''t Ie stay with you for a while? That way I can take care of you properly."
Isadora''s head throbbed at the suggestion.
"She''ll stay with me."
Nte strode in, heels clicking confidently on the floor.
"My ce has a housekeeper and a guest suite for Isadora. It''s the most sensible option."
Eleanor hadn''t always thought much of Isadora''s best friend. Nte''s family background was modest, and her acting career seemed unpredictable-Eleanor had once worried she was a bad influence.
But things had changed. Now, out of love for her daughter, she was trying hard to ept everything and everyone important to Isadora.
Eleanor forced a polite smile. "You must be Nte. I know you and Isadora are close, but with your busy schedule-filming here, traveling there-how could you possibly look after her?"
Isadora was about to say that, honestly, she didn''t need anyone looking after her. But just then, someone knocked at the door again.
A tall man leaned casually against the frame, his broad shoulders and sharp features drawing more than a few nces from the nurses and patients in the hallway.
Richard''s eyes lit up when he saw who it was. "Victor-didn''t expect you here."
Victor, dressed in ck and moving with easy confidence, strode over and slipped an arm around Isadora''s waist.
"Do I need to report my whereabouts to you now?" he teased.
Richard chuckled awkwardly, suddenly unsure of himself.
Victor nced down at Isadora, his gaze gentle. "Ready to go?"
For a moment, the three of them-Eleanor, Richard, and Nte-looked from Isadora to Victor, reading between the lines.
Were they... living together already?
Eleanor couldn''t help but feel a pang of difort. She''d barely begun to mend things with her daughter, and now it seemed Victor had swept her away.
Richard, on the other hand, was secretly delighted. If Isadora and Victor were moving in together, surely an engagement—and the next step for the Vaughan Group''s billion-dor investment-couldn''t be far off.
Isadora subtly slipped out of Victor''s embrace. "Actually, I''ll be staying with Nte."
The words had barely left her lips when Victor shot Nte a cool, razor-sharp look.
And in that instant, Nte felt the full force of his intimidating presence.
Sorry, Isadora, she thought.
Nte managed a stiff smile. "You know, I think Eleanor''s right. I have a lot of traveling up-it wouldn''t be practical."